Friday, April 18, 2008

I left the newsroom Thursday evening, looking forward to enjoying the spring weather with a beer at Alive After Five.

As my friend and I were walking up Tryon Street, we spotted what looked to be a streetwalker -- a young woman in a super short, hot pink dress with sky-high strappy stilettos. Turns out she wasn't a streetwalker, but a fellow Alive After Five patron.

Got me thinking about fashion do's and don'ts for the popular summer series.

Don't wear your cocktail attire. Save those little black dresses (or pink, as the case may be) for the weekend. It's an after-work social, not a Saturday night at the club.

Don't wear anything you wouldn't want your boss to see you in. Think about how many times you run into co-workers in that tiny plaza. You want to be able to go into the office the next morning without a hangover and with your reputation intact.

Do take a cue from the guys. They all look casually comfortable with their shirt sleeves rolled up and ties loosened. Ladies, wear a dress or camisole that you can cover up with a cardigan or jacket during the day before revealing (tastefully -- see the boss rule above) a little more skin.

people should be able to wear whatever the hell they want to - without having to worry about a bunch of nobodies issuing "do's & don'ts" directives. I mean, what difference does it make to you what SOMEONE ELSE is wearing?

I'm moving to Charlotte from Austin, where it's also hot out in the summer, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone criticizing what anyone else is wearing, especially at an outdoor venue. Uptown looks homogeneous enough. Lighten up.

Is Charlotte still looking for its identity? I'm pretty sure one visit to AA5 will tell you it's WASP conservative with a touch of bit*&. Repeat after me, dress as I dress, do as I do, say as I say...okay, now repeat. Isn't this fun y'all?

Don't get me wrong, there are always going to be girls who push the limits of what's sexy and trashy but wow... you ARE that "desperate 30 something" that considers a mini dress "sleezy". Maybe you should consider the fact that some people go out afterward and want to wear an outfit that lets them transition out of the work attire/cardigan look you're thinking of. No offense but you are the LAST person I would take fashion advice from!

As for the husband comment... boyfriends/girlfriends/husbands/wives/life partners/WHATEVER are always going to look no matter how committed they are, it's whether they stray that matters. If you're insecure enough your significant other looking at a girl in a mini dress than maybe you guys shouldn't be together?? Haters, I'm telling you!

Sarah Aarthun is the Observer's pop culture writer. When she's not devouring Entertainment Weekly or writing about local and national celebrities for The 'A' List in the Observer, she can be found at hot spots around town.